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kinvoya · Postby **kinvoya** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:53 pm

I just learned about this and thought I would warn everybody else.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12784 ... =nl_caxcol

I'm pretty sure I have some kind of virus because my comp has slowed way, way down and seems to have all kinds of activity going on when I'm not doing anything. Also, things open up at random. Like Fallout 2 which I haven't played in about a month will suddenly open.

I've tried the free virus detectors but can't find anything. I don't know what to do next so any advice would be appreciated. I'm only marginally computer savvy.

:cry:

Whaaaa!

west · Postby **west** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:13 pm

I think it's karmic revenge for not answering my PMs :p

Seriously, though. Did you try Spy-bot and Ad-Aware? Those are adware and malware detectors and can find things virus detectors can't.

Nakranoth · Postby **Nakranoth** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:14 pm

Have you tried AVG? I'm a personal fan of theirs... It's pretty good, and there's a free version hidden on their website... so you'll want to google for AVG free

SekoETC · Postby **SekoETC** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:31 pm

My computer is slow too, but at least it doesn't open stuff. I did a full scan with F-secure and found nothing, although there were some files it couldn't open, but they seemed to be system files.

kinvoya · Postby **kinvoya** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:15 pm

I have Ad-Aware and AVG and I ran a root-kit detector called Saphos and a cache cleaner.

Could it be the NetZero software? I've had to reinstall it three times because it kept getting corrupted but now it seems pretty stable.

I'll look at Spy-bot and F-secure if they are free.

Thanks for the info!

SekoETC · Postby **SekoETC** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:38 pm

F-Secure is a pay program, but you can get a free trial.

west · Postby **west** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 2:29 am

kinvoya wrote:I have Ad-Aware and AVG and I ran a root-kit detector called Saphos and a cache cleaner.

Could it be the NetZero software? I've had to reinstall it three times because it kept getting corrupted but now it seems pretty stable.

I'll look at Spy-bot and F-secure if they are free.

Thanks for the info!

Spybot is free.

How old is your computer? Also: NetZero? You must be from the past.

(I kid, I kid)

kinvoya · Postby **kinvoya** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:45 am

How old is your computer? Also: NetZero? You must be from the past.

My laptop is about 3 years old. Maybe I just need to reinstall everything cause I've never done that. If I did would any hidden viruses be gone or can they hang out in there someplace?

Also, I am from the past and also a different dimension. I got here via film.

I'm just a poor girl who can only afford dial-up and I didn't know which super-cheap provider to use. Is there a better one or are they all pretty much the same (awful)?

west · Postby **west** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:56 am

kinvoya wrote:
How old is your computer? Also: NetZero? You must be from the past.

My laptop is about 3 years old. Maybe I just need to reinstall everything cause I've never done that. If I did would any hidden viruses be gone or can they hang out in there someplace?

Also, I am from the past and also a different dimension. I got here via film.

I'm just a poor girl who can only afford dial-up and I didn't know which super-cheap provider to use. Is there a better one or are they all pretty much the same (awful)?

I'm just surprised; I didn't think dial-up was that much cheaper than broadband these days.

kinvoya · Postby **kinvoya** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:38 am

Well, to get broadband I would also have to have cable TV which I can't afford so it's $10 a month for dial-up vs a lot more for cable/internet. I have to pinch a lot of pennies so I don't have to go back to temp office work. It's totally worth it.

I dunno, I have to research the cost of cable, I guess. Just haven't had time.

Talapus · Postby **Talapus** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:16 am

Low level broadband (either cable or DSL) is on par pricewise with dial-up and an extra phoneline (allowing you to be on-line and on the phone at the same time). If you have dial-up with a single phone line, it is still significantly cheaper then a broadband connection (albeit much slower).

SekoETC · Postby **SekoETC** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:09 pm

I live in a student apartment so I can get broadband with only 10 euros a month. But because the block is full of nerds that DL all sorts of stuff all night and day, the connection is very very slow. Such a shame... last year it was much faster. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's my computer's fault, since the maintanance guy came over and claimed he had measured a speed of several megas instead of the ~40 kB I've been having.

west · Postby **west** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:28 pm

SekoETC wrote:I live in a student apartment so I can get broadband with only 10 euros a month. But because the block is full of nerds that DL all sorts of stuff all night and day, the connection is very very slow. Such a shame... last year it was much faster. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's my computer's fault, since the maintanance guy came over and claimed he had measured a speed of several megas instead of the ~40 kB I've been having.

I'd point out that broadband is much cheaper and faster in Europe than in the US, thanks to our "free-market" telecom monopolies.

SekoETC · Postby **SekoETC** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:00 pm

Yes, I've heard that US connections are crappy. Poor you.

Dee · Postby **Dee** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:05 pm

Heh.. In Egypt, if you've got DSL internet, you own the world.

Okay, not really, lol, but that's how it's been till maybe a year ago. Now everyone has DSL.. I don't think I've heard of anyone who has cable, but I know a lot of people have Wi-Fi (did I say it right?) Not only in public places, like university or coffee shops, but at their homes too. I know it's pretty common in the US and Europe.

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